Holding On
by Kired The Bard
Summary: Alfred wants to take Arthur flying. Arthur isn't thrilled. Perhaps Alfred underestimated how hard Arthur would hold onto him. Inspired by a picture by PabutteGo on Deviantart. Rated for mild language


_AN:Hi everyone! _

_So, this is my first story ever! I guess I'm being a bit optomistic with doing a crossover as my first posting. It is a Hetalia/Harry Potter crossover, but it is the Hetalia characters as students at Hogwarts. I actually have an entire headcanon to go with this one story, so if you want to see more, let me know. _

_Special thanks to PabutteGo for letting me post this story based on this amazing pic www. deviantart art/ hold-on- 257561470_

_Hetalia and all associated characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya_

_Harry Potter and all associated characters belong to J K Rowling_

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"Come on!" Alfred whined, pulling at the other teen's cloak. "You promised!"

"I did not!" Arthur snapped back. He reached down and untangled the taller blonde's fingers from his sleeve. "I said I would come and watch you practice. How in Merlin's name did you take that to mean I would accept a ride on that death trap?!"

Alfred clutched his broom to his chest. "Hey! Cleansweeps are some of the safest brooms on the market! Besides, you shouldn't insult him like that."

A single (and overly thick) eyebrow arched in mockery. "Him?" Arthur asked with barely contained sarcasm. "Does 'he' have a name?"

"Duh! Of course he does! You didn't know? My old one did too! Alfred said proudly. He stroked down the smooth handle lovingly. "This is Wright. I was gonna name him Ollerton, but that was too British."

Arthur rolled his eyes. He had been expecting a quiet morning, one involving finding a secluded spot in the library in which to study. His NEWTs were rapidly approaching and he desperately needed to pass with the highest marks. No simple "E" student would catch the eye of the Minister. Unfortunately, he had barely made it two steps out of the dungeons before he had been tackled by a blur of gold and crimson. After much cursing, swearing, and blushing, Arthur agreed to accompany the excitable Alfred down to the lake. His expectations were that of him sitting quietly on the shore while the American practiced for his various Quidditch auditions. How foolish of him to forget that nothing went according to plan with a Gryffindor around.

So here he stood, huddled on the cold lake shore instead of curled up in the warm library, trying to resist his boyfriend's insane idea.

"Alfred," the older student sighed, "I don't care what its name is, I'm not getting on it."

"Artiiieeee," Alfred whined. "You haven't been on a broom since you were a First Year! Live a little!"

"I have a better chance at living right here on the ground," Arthur told him firmly. He crossed his arms and planted his feet squarely. "I'm not doing it."

Alfred threw his hands up in frustration, but brought one back down as his broom nearly hit the ground. "Fine! Be a grumpy, frumpy, old man then!" He turned his back to the Slytherin boy with a heavy sigh. The crimson clad shoulders slumped and the blonde head bowed down. He glanced over his shoulder with wide blue eyes and a slight pout. "You never want to do anything fun anymore."

Arthur flinched. That hurt. His stance relaxed slightly and he unfolded his arms. His brow unknotted in favor of a softer expression. "Al…" He let the words die in his throat. No, he would not let the other boy manipulate him like this. "Alfred," the Brit tried again, his voice clearer, "I'm sorry. I've just been busy lately, you know that."

"I know, it's ok," Alfred sighed again. "I just… I thought you would want to do something together. I'll… I'll be back in a bit, okay babe?" He turned his eyes away and began to mount his broom.

_Must resist hurt puppy act_, Arthur thought desperately. _Must not cave_. When a sniffle came from the other boy his resolve broke with an almost audible crack. "Alright! Alright!" he shouted. "Damned Mother of Morgana, I'll get on the stupid thing!"

Sometimes the Brit swore Alfred had figured out how to Apparate inside the school grounds. He swore as Alfred was instantly by his side, or he would have had the American not been crushing his lungs as he lifted his boyfriend in the air. "Really!?"

"Yes, really you git," Arthur wheezed. "Now LET ME DOWN!"

Alfred happily complied, but he kept his arms in place as he placed a swift kiss to the other's cheek. "You're the best, Artie!" His grin split his face open as he grabbed Arthur's hand. He pulled the shorter teen towards the dropped broom, all traces of sadness gone. "You're gonna love it! Wright isn't as fast the Firebolts, but speed isn't everything, ya know? He can corner like anything, and oh man can he spin! Oh! I've been working on this new move for, like, a month now and I think I finally got it down and I would show you but I don't think I can do it with two people on here! Well, I probably could, but you would have to move too, and since you don't know the trick you wouldn't be able to move and we would fall and that would suck. By the way, I found that on the south side of the lake there's usually an awesome updraft that can push you super high. I mean, like, hundreds of feet! I've been wanting to try using it for flips and stuff and-"

"Alfred," Arthur growled as he mounted the broom behind the Gryffindor, "I agreed to do this, but it will be on my terms. No flips, spins, dives, rolls, stalls, or any other sort of shenanigans while we are flying. You will go at a safe speed and stay relatively low. And if I die," he growled, his fingers digging sharply into his boyfriend's sides, "I *will* return as a ghost to haunt you."

The Gryffindor shuddered at the word 'ghost'. "You wouldn't really… would you?" One look at the scowl he was being given made him gulp. "Ok… maybe you would."

Arthur sighed and buried his face into the red jumper in front of him. "I'm going to die."

"I already told ya babe, Wright is completely safe!"

"Do you have any idea how many broomstick related deaths there are in Great Britain each year?"

"Nope. But they were pro'bly all caused by idiots."

"Knowing you, that doesn't make me feel better at all," Arthur muttered darkly.

Alfred turned halfway around, most likely to protest. To Arthur's surprise (and mild panic) he simply grinned. "Hold on tight!"

Arthur paled. He had long come to recognize that expression as what Alfred called 'shit-faced'. "Don't you dare, you gi-IIIIIIIIT!" He screamed as Alfred kicked off, hard. Hands that had been curled lightly at Alfred's sides were now clawing at his chest. Thin arms locked around a broad ribcage as they shot straight up. Air whistled in Arthur's ears and chilled him to the bone. He screamed again as they instantly switched directions, now speeding forwards. His eyes screwed shut and he buried his face further against the shoulders before him. He barely heard Alfred's obnoxious laughter over the wind.

How fast were they going? Arthur wondered. They must be going nearly eighty miles an hour! He whimpered as he felt his world tilt. How could he take curves at such high speeds? His nails dug into Alfred's uniform. No, they had to be going faster. Hundreds of miles now! Another sharp turn, a second burst of speed, the swooping sensation in his stomach from rising even higher. Dear Merlin let it end, he silently begged. His suffering wasn't completely silent, though.

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die," he murmured into the cloth against his lips.

Apparently Alfred heard him. "Dude! Chill! We're barely going 20 right now."

"Liar," Arthur tried to growl, but to his chagrin it came out more like a whine.

"No I'm not. This is a pretty slow speed, man."

"No its not," Arthur growled/whined.

"Fine." The wind died down to a slight breeze as Arthur felt them slow down considerably. "Better?"

The Slytherin nodded into Alfred's back, no longer trusting his own voice.

"Geez, I only meant to scare you a bit, not make you totally flip, man!" Alfred said. "Come on, open your eyes." Arthur only shook his head. He felt more than heard Alfred sigh.

They continued cruising through the air, neither speaking. Eventually the fear that clouded Arthur's mind began to trickle away. Now that he could think properly, perhaps this wasn't all that bad. Though the air was quite a bit colder up here, Alfred proved to be a useful heater. It was a lovely feeling to snuggle deeper into the familiar heat. The world was much quieter here, as well. There were no sounds, save for the whisper of the breeze in his cloak. As long as he didn't think about the fact that he was suspended hundreds of feet in the air and his survival was totally dependent on a Gryffindor (though one he loved) this might be considered pleasant.

It wasn't until he realized he wasn't as cold as before that he realized they had stopped. "Al?" he whispered, unsure of his boyfriend's intentions.

"Open your eyes."

Though reluctant, the softness of Alfred's voice convinced him to peek between his lashes. At first he looked up at Alfred, but the other nodded off to their right. Arthur lifted his cheek from Alfred's shoulder and turned.

His breath caught in his throat, much like that first night on the lake seven years ago.

It was beautiful. The sun had apparently risen, but the sky was overcast with a thick haze. What light managed to sneak through created a rose colored background. It was still fairly early in the morning, and the grounds were still. The Forest for once was silent, no eerie moans or animal shrieks echoing through the woods. The trees stood tall and dark, but they seemed more protective than ominous, like a line of soldiers. The water of the lake below rippled lazily in the breeze. It reflected the soft light enough to make it shimmer with each subtle movement of the waves. In the distance the Quidditch Pitch stood empty but proud. The banners of the four Houses shifted back and forth in an attempt display their colours. A thin spiral of smoke rose over Hagrid's hut, adding a hint of cooking herbs to the air. Everything was covered with a thin coating of dew, making the world glisten.

Above all this, however, stood the castle. Hogwarts Castle, a king on its cliff side throne, outshone the rest of the grounds. Every window shone. Every tower seemed to reach even higher. Each stone was settled perfectly in its place. It looked as regal and stately as it always did, but the stillness of the morning seemed to magnify its majesty. Arthur had never truly taken a moment like this to really study the castle, but now that he did he could see every detail etched into the masonry. Every gargoyle was perfectly carved and each battlement neatly aligned. The Arthur allowed himself a small, bittersweet smile. This was his home and he, like everyone else, had noticed the brilliance of the castle in its entirety. Unfortunately he had glanced over the striking details that the Founders must have so painstakingly attended to, and it was only now, weeks before he would leave his home, that he was appreciating them.

"This is my favorite thing about flying." Arthur turned his gaze away from the spectacular sight and looked to Alfred. The younger boy didn't face him. He kept looking down at the castle, a rare, soft smile on his lips. "I get to come up here, higher than anyone else. It's like my own private little world. No one flies this early, this high." He shifted on the broom so he could look directly at Arthur. He was smiling his normal wide grin, but his eyes were heavy with sadness. "This is *my* world. I… wanted to share it with you. Before…"

Arthur nudged Alfred with one of his hands that were still resting on the other's chest. "Before what?"

"Before you leave me."

Arthur froze. "What?"

"Come on Arthur," Alfred sighed. "You're a seventh year. After you take your NEWTs you'll be out of here. You'll be off to show the Ministry and everyone else exactly how amazing you are. You're going to take on the world and win! You'll be Minister! You'll be appointed to the International Confederation of Wizards. You'll be Supreme… um, the Supreme… um… You'll lead the Confederation! But…" He turned away from Arthur again. Arthur, on the other hand, couldn't tear his eyes away from the heartbroken expression the Gryffindor wore. "I'll still be here. Just being average Alfred. After that, I'm going back to America, all the way across the ocean from you. Even if I am awesome enough to get a Quidditch contract, I can't do that forever." He hung his head. "Face it, Arthur. You're going places. I'm not."

There was a silence between them. Arthur stared at the other boy in shock. He had never heard Alfred speak like that. Alfred was always upbeat and sure of himself. He was the one that kept Arthur from going mad when he felt that he wasn't good enough. He was the one that was supposed to see the best outcomes. He was the one the rest of the world loved. A tight knot had formed in Arthur's stomach while his boyfriend had been talking. The more he thought about what had been said the higher the knot rose in his throat. It wasn't until the weight sat on the back of his tongue that he realized what it was. It wasn't sadness or fear. It was anger.

"You complete idiot!" He roared. Alfred jumped, causing the broomstick underneath them to jump as well. For a moment the Slytherin boy reclaimed his death grip on the other as his world jerked. As soon as he felt that Alfred had control of the broom again, he began to yell. "You bloody git! How could you say that?! After all this time, you want to break it off now? Just when everything is going our way?! I swear you're thicker than dragon dung some days!" He pulled one hand away to smack the blonde head in front of him, but thought better of it when he remembered how high up they were. He settled for pounding the idiot's back. "After all the idiotic things I've had to put up with to be with you, do you really think I'm going to let an *ocean* get in my way? We're wizards you moron! Taking a hop across the pond is not going to be an issue! And what do you mean *if* you get a contract? You've got a quarter of all the bloody teams that play for the World Cup eyeing you up! And you're only 16! And so what if that doesn't pan out? You have got more charisma than a veela! You can do anything you damn well please!"

Alfred turned around and lifted a hand to try to defend his abused shoulders. Arthur maneuvered his arm around and firmly gripped Alfred's chin. He glared into wide, bewildered blue eyes. "No matter where I go in life, I will *not* just leave you behind. And I will fight for you too hard for you to just leave me behind. Understand?"

Alfred nodded awkwardly with Arthur's hand still holding his face. "Good. I love you, Alfred, no matter if you're successful, I'm successful, or we bother fail. I will always hold onto you." He held Alfred still and pushed himself forwards to kiss the other fiercely. Lips and teeth were both heavily involved as Arthur took his frustrations out on Alfred's lips. Just as Alfred began to give back just as roughly, Arthur broke the kiss off.

For a moment they stared at each other. When Alfred began to giggle, Arthur scowled. "What?" He demanded.

"You really do have the most adorable eyebrows when you're mad!" The Gryffindor's giggles turned into full blown laughs as Arthur's scowl deepened. Before re could retort, the taller blonde leaned back gently against his chest. "You promise you won't leave me?"

Arthur sighed, the last of his anger draining away through the warm weight on his chest. "No." He placed his head on Alfred's shoulder. Alfred rested his own cheek on Arthur's hair. "I may have to leave my home here at Hogwarts, but I get to take the best part with me."

Alfred smiled the brilliant smile Arthur had originally fallen for and nuzzled Arthur's hair. They sat hovering over the lake, curled together. Together they were content to watch the first signs of the grounds coming to life. As the sun rose higher in the sky it banished the cloudy haze, bathing the castle in the full brilliance of its light. Suspended high in the air, the two students reveled in the magnificence of their home.

"Hey… you were talking about me, right?"

"Yes, git, I was referring to you."

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_AN: So... what do you think? Anyone want to see more from this world? Reviews are appreciated. _


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